Combined hand iron and work moistener



May 11, 1937.

"s. KUNO .COMBINED HAND IRON AND WORK MOISTENER Filed Sept. 24,

(Skidaiqom Kano.

Patented May 11, 1937 COMBINED HAND moN AND worm MOISTENER Shichigoro Kuno, Ogden, Utah Application September 24, 1935, Serial No. 41,876

3 Claims.

This invention relates to attachments for flat irons, sad-irons, electric irons, and the like, such as are employed in the hand pressing and hand ironing of wearing apparel, linens, and related 5 items in the usual and customary manner, and more particularly to an attachment adapted for removable and replaceable association with a hand iron to provide convenient and eflicient means readily operable to moisten or dampen the ma- 10 terial to be ironed immediately in advance of the hand iron element, and bases an object to provide an tLnproved attachment of the character set for A further object of the invention is to provide 15 an improved combination of work moistener attachment with a hand iron.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved unitary work moistener attachment constructed and arranged for readily detachable 20 cooperative association with a hand iron.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of coacting elements adaptedto cooperate in the removable support of a moistener attachment on 25 and relative to a hand iron.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of elements forming a moisture spraying and distributing attachment adapted for removable association with a hand iron.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved work moistener attachment which, in operative combination with a hand iron, may be readily and efliciently employed to dampen work 35 in advance of said iron to any reasonable degree desired, which is simple and relatively inexpensive of manufacture, which is readily mountable on and removable from a conventional hand iron, and which is operable to speed and improve the 40 quality of the ironing operating.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in

45 which i Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional hand iron of electric type with which the improved attachment has been operatively associated in position for practical use. Figure 2 is a top plan view of the showing of Figure 1. Fig-- ure 3 is a side elevation of the improved moistener attachment detached from its operative mounting on an iron. Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail section, taken on the vertical median plane of the 55 moistener attachment, as mounted. .Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail section, taken on the indicated'line 5-5 of Figure 4.

In the construction of the improvement as shown the numeral ill designates the usual base or work portion of a conventional hand iron, in 5 this instance illustrated as of the ordinary electric type, fromwhich base suitable brackets ll rise in the customary spaced, relation to position and support the usual handle l2 therebetween with its axis in spaced, parallel relation with the longitudinal median line of the plane lower surface of the base ID, as is conventional hand iron construction herein represented to typify hand irons as a class and without reference to their specific details of form and construction. When the hand iron is of the electric type, as shown, the base In normally houses the heating elements of the iron and is provided at its rear end with a suitable socket i 3 adapted to receive and complete operative connection with the connecter or plug end of a conductor element, not shown. To provide a convenient stand or support for electrictype irons, a readily-cooled extension [4 may be provided in projecting relation with the rear end of the base ill, on which extension the iron assembly may be upended for positioning with its heated surface out of contact with the material to be ironed. All of the foregoing is common and well known construction which is illustrated and described solely to define the locus of the instant invention in a typical manner, and apart from its association with the elements and apparatus hereinafter set forth forms no part of the instant invention.

The improved work moistener is illustrated as comprising a suitable container or reservoir iii, of any suitable size and specific shape and formed of any suitable material in any desired manner, which reservoir is imperforate save for a suitable filler cap indicated at It, wherethrough the contents of the reservoir [5 may be replenished, and an upstanding, externally-threaded neck or nipple l1 opening through the top of said reservoir on the longitudinal median line thereof. The threaded neck I! is adapted to be sealed through 5 its supporting cooperation with the threaded cap iii of an atomizing or spray assembly, which latter comprises a spray head or junction boss l9 carried in fixed relation by the cap i8, a suction tube 20 depending from the head l9 through the neck I! within the reservoir l5 and terminating adjacent the bottom of the latter, a spray nozzle 2! extending forwardly from the head I 9 andterminating in a jet opening preferably adapted for relatively wide lateral diffusion of spray, and a pressure tube 22 extending in fixed relation from the head IS in substantial alignment with and oppositely from the nozzle 2|, said tube 22 operatively communicating at its rearward end with a pressure bulb 23, of conventional resilient type. The assembly just above described corresponds closely in construction and operation with similar assemblies employed for various types of spraying and with atomizers commonly employed for the diffusion of perfumes and medications and it operates upon compression of the bulb 23 to drive a jet of air across the upper end of the suction tube 20 and outwardly of the nozzle 2|, thereby producing a reduced pressure in the tube 20 and permitting the li d contents of the reservoir l5 to rise within s 1 tube and into the path of the air jet for discharge therewith outwardly through the jet nozzle 2| in the form of finely divided spray or mist.

To removably mount the moistener attachment in operative relation with a hand iron, an angle bracket 24 is preferably provided on and in fixed forwardly projecting relation with the forward end of the handle I2, said bracket being provided as an integral part of the original iron assembly, if desired, or being furnished as a supplementary element for attachment to said iron, as shown.

The horizontal, forwardly extending leg of the bracket 24 is provided with a suitable central aperture adapted to receive the free end of a hook element 25 carried in fixed relation with the rear wall of the reservoir l5 centrally and adjacent the upper margin of said rear wall, thus removably suspending said reservoir and the spray assembly carried thereby from said bracket 24 forwardly of the handle l2. Centrally of the rear wall of the reservoir I5 and in spaced relation below the hook 25, a spring clip yoke 26 is fixed to said reservoir and opens rearwardly therefrom to embracingly engage about the forward of the handle brackets to removably clamp said reservoir in a relatively fixed relation with the iron assembly, the weight of the reservoir, its attachments and contents, being supported by engagement of the hook 25 with the bracket 24 while the spring yoke 26 serves to steady and retain the attachment assembly against displacement relative to the iron assembly. The cap I8 is so threaded on the neck I! as to position the jet nozzle 2| in forwardly extending relation longitudinally of the iron assembly, thereby positioning the tube 22 in corresponding longitudinal alignment with the iron assembly rearwardly from the head I9, said tube having a length such as to position the resilient bulb 23 immediately above the forwardportion of the handle l 2, said handle preferably being formed with a suitable recess or depression 21 positioned to receive and be engaged by the under surface of said bulb 23. To further steady the attachment assembly relative to the iron assembly, a double spring clip or clamp yoke 28 may be provided in simultaneously embracing relation with the forward end of the handle l2 and with the rearward end of the tube 22 adjacent the bulb 23, said clip serving to limit relative motion or displacement of the bulb 23 and handle l2. The jet end of the nozzle 2| is preferably directed somewhat downwardly so that the spray discharged therethrough may be directed to intersect the working plane of the iron base l0 across and just forwardly of the normal travel of such iron during the ironing operation.

With the elements of the assembly arranged as shown and hereabove described, the iron is maence of the moistener attachment in no way ln-- terferes with the usual manipulation of the iron and may, of course, be removed entirely from the iron for convenience in certain operations. However, with the attachment in place, any need for additional moisture in or on the material being worked can be met by shifting the hand oi the iron operator to apply pressure to the bulb 23 for consequentspray discharge through the nozzle 2| to that portion of the material immediately in advance of the iron, the said bulb 23 being so positioned on the handle I! as to permit ready compression thereof by the thumb or adjacent hand portion of the operator. Repeated pressure may be applied to the bulb 23 to thoroughly wet the material, if such be desired, or the spray discharge from the nozzle may be regulated through the bulb manipulation to give that degree of moisture most desirable in a given instance.

While the moistener attachment is illustrated and described in connection with an electrictype iron, it should be obvious that such attachment is adaptable to cooperative association with hand irons of any and all conventional constructions, and that said attachment could readily be formed in and as an integral part of the iron assembly at the time of manufacture thereof, it such should prove expedient or desirable.

Since many changes, variations and modifications in the specific form, construction and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention- 1. In operative combination, a hand flat-iron formed with a handle, an apertured bracket projecting forwardly from the forward end of said handle, a liquid reservoir formed with a hook adapted to engage said apertured bracket for suspension of said reservoir on and forwardly of said iron handle, spring-yoke means carried by said reservoir for engagement with a handle support to position and steady said reservoir relative to said iron, spray-generating means carried by and in operative association with said reservoir, said latter means including a jet nomle projecting forwardly from said reservoir and a pressure tube extending rearwardly from said reservoir across said handle bracket, spring-clip means interconnecting the rear end of said pressure tube and the forward end of said handle, and a pressure bulb communicating with the rear end of said pressure tube and thereby positioned in superposed relation with and for compression against said handle.

2. A moistener attachment for hand-flat-irons, comprising an apertured bracket adapted for attachment to the forward end of a flat-iron handle, a liquid reservoir formed with a hook adapted to engage said apertured bracket for suspension of said reservoir from and forwardly of said handle, means on said reservoir engageable with a portion of said iron to position and steady said reservoir, spray-generating means carried by said reservoir and including a forwardly-projecting jet nozzle and a rearwardJy-extending pressure tube, a

pressure bulb carried by the rear end of said pressure tube in superposed relation with and for compression against said handle, and spring-clip means operatively interconnecting said pressure tube and handle.

3. A moistener attachment for hand-fiat-irons, comprising a liquid reservoir operatively supporting a forwardly-projecting jet nozzle and a rearwardly-extending pressure tube, a pressure 10 bulb on the free end oi said pressure tube, means including an apertured bracket fixed to the forward end 01' the iron handle and a hook on said reservoir engageable with said bracket for supporting said reservoir from and forwardly of said iron with said bulb positioned above and for compression against said handle, means removably interconnecting said pressure tube and handle, and means operable to position and steady said reservoir relative to said iron.

SHICHIGORO KUNO. 

